Igor Stravinsky

1882 - 1971 AD

Great artists never borrow ideas. They steal them."

Igor Stravinsky was born in the Russian Empire in 1882, the year after the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. He initially enrolled in law school at Saint Petersburg University, but studied composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and earned international acclaim with his first ballet, The Firebird, in 1910.

His avant-garde style of expressionism was revolutionary at the time, and Stravinsky became one of the leading voices of Europe's artistic elite in an era where this increasingly meant "art that only other artistic elite can appreciate." Stravinsky's 1918 opera The Rite of Spring caused a riot at its premiere in the Paris Opera House, although this was probably due more to the expressionist dancing than the music. Nevertheless, Stravinsky's style was very influential on later composers. He was highly experimental and notable for his use of dissonance and unpredictable multimeter.

Stravinsky moved to Switzerland and then France in 1918, probably not too sorry to be out of Russia at that particular moment. While in France, he and his family battled tuberculosis, during which time he lost his mother, wife, and eldest daughter. Stravinsky developed relationships with leading Americans and gave a number of concert tours in the United States. He emmigrated to the United States in 1939, probably not too sorry to be out of France at that particular moment. Stravinsky spent the rest of his life in America, composing ballets, concert works, and collaborating with other musicians in Hollywood, California. The Rite of Spring gained widespread fame when it was included in Walt Disney's 1940 film "Fantasia."